Evers visits Eau Claire, talks support of Head Start
'It will be a disaster,' Evers said during a stop at the Western Dairyland Head Start in Eau Claire. '[Kids] will not go into the K-12 system prepared and you'll have parents leaving the workforce. That's going to have a huge impact on our economy.'
Evers said the effects would be immediate, but also would show up in 12 years when high schoolers are unprepared upon graduating.
'We'll be a third-class country,' he said.
During his stop, Evers read a book to children, played with Play-Doh, and ate lunch alongside the kids. Evers, a Democrat, urged the state Legislature to get behind his proposal to increase funding for childcare programs in the state by $480 million over the biennium. It would make the Child Care Counts Program permanent in the state budget. He acknowledged it will be a tough fight, as Republicans control both the Assembly and Senate, although the margins have narrowed.
'I think we have more folks who are in favor of it,' Evers said of the childcare funding proposal. 'If you don't know [the value of childcare centers], you need to visit some of these places.'
Evers said the 'very lifeblood for our young kids is up for grabs in Washington.'
Last week, six of the 39 Head Start programs in Wisconsin — including Western Dairyland Head Start — were suddenly unable to access the federal dollars to pay for their programs.
Anna Cardarella, CEO of the Western Dairyland Economic Opportunity Council, said they have nine Head Start locations between Eau Claire, Buffalo, Jackson and Trempealeau counties with 442 children in the programs, with many considered to come from low-income families. The Eau Claire program has 64 children, with a current waiting list of eight kids.
'For our kiddos, this is school,' she said. 'But for our parents, this is their lifeline to work.'
Cardarella said it was alarming when they couldn't access the aid, and weren't sure when they would be able to get the money.
'We had to cover a $300,000 payroll for a week,' she said. 'We were able to cover that, but we aren't able to do that indefinitely.'
She added that 'it was the 'not knowing,' and no communication,' that left her concerned about if the money would arrive, which it did several days later.
Cardarella noted that there are few childcare locations outside of Eau Claire.
'Head Start in rural counties is imperative,' she said. 'It would be devastating for the communities we serve if Head Start were to no longer exist.'
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